There is no best toothpaste to use during pregnancy because everyone is different. There can only be the best toothpaste for YOU to use which implies that it is highly individualistic and personal.
Unfortunately due t o how the pregnancy process works, your hormones may fluctuate over the course of the months. This can actually affect your preference and tolerance for certain foods, smells, and even toothpastes. One month you may be okay with one particular brand of toothpaste but the next month you may not be.
Nonetheless, we will describe to you what the profile of an IDEAL toothpaste to use during the pregnancy. However if that doesn’t work for you, we’ll lay down a decision matrix to help you decide the next best alternative that is personalized for you.
The ideal toothpaste for pregnancy
Despite everyone being different, having different likes and tolerances for various products, this is what we consider to be the profile of the ideal toothpaste for pregnancy.
- Has the ability to stop or reverse cavities.
- Does not make you nauseous.
- Makes you want to brush twice a day.
Can stop or reverse cavities
What good is a toothpaste that can’t prevent, stop, nor reverse cavities? It wouldn’t be a very good one if it couldn’t do that. This means that the ideal toothpaste has to have the ability to do all of that.
There are only two types of toothpastes that can reverse cavities:
- Fluoride toothpaste. Your trusted old fluoridated toothpaste has been stopping and reversing cavities for decades. There have been plenty of studies which have shown its effectiveness.
- Hydroxyapatite toothpaste. This is a newer product but it is essentially made out of the same ingredient as your natural tooth structure. It can remineralize small cavities and has been shown by studies to be equally as effective as fluoride.
If you’re choosing a dentifrice that does not contain either of the two above, you’re missing out on a huge benefit. Thus, we highly recommend that you choose one which does. The hydroxyapatite would be the fluoride alternative if you were opposed to fluoride.
Does not induce vomiting
According to the NHS, you may end up developing strange tastes, smells, and food cravings. For instance you may end up no longer liking some foods and drinks which you previously enjoyed. This can also apply to a pregnant woman’s perception of their toothpaste flavor as well.
If you couple the dislike of toothpaste flavor with morning sickness, that could be a recipe for vomiting. The only thing you can do about this is to try switching to a different flavor or different brand of toothpaste to see if it makes you gag. There is no way to know which one will do that aside from actually experimenting and trying them all out.
But yes, the perfect toothpaste would not make you nauseous at all.
Makes you feel good
The best toothpaste for you should be one that makes you feel good when you use it. If you feel good you’ll want to brush more with it. More brushing is always preferred over not brushing at all. After all that is the best way to prevent cavities, by brushing your teeth regularly.
If you were wondering what is it about a toothpaste that can make you feel good, it can be anything! Perhaps you believe in their story and how they came to manufacturing. One thing that a lot of patients are big on is finding one that is all natural, one without all of the artificial ingredients within it.
How to choose the next best toothpaste for pregnancy
Since every expecting mother is different due to preferences and tolerances, there isn’t one singular best toothpaste that exists. There can only be the best toothpaste that works for you while you’re pregnant.
We’re trying to design a way to help you select a toothpaste that will work for you and this is how we would do it:
- Try to pick one that has either fluoride or hydroxyapatite.
- Make sure it doesn’t make you vomit or gag such as the flavoring.
- Screen them based on what you want to find in it such as all natural ingredients or etc.
Pick one with fluoride or hydroxyapatite
We highly recommend choosing one that has either fluoride or hydroxyapatite because they’re the only two that can remineralize small cavities. For evidence that it is the best for you, look no further because the American Dental Association specifically recommends using a fluoridated toothpaste while you’re pregnant.
Common toothpastes with fluoride:
- Sensodyne
- Colgate
- Crest
Common toothpastes with hydroxyapatite:
- Davids
- Risewell
- Kinder Karex
- Apagard
The most important first step is to choose one that has one of the above two ingredients if possible. However, if you can’t then we understand and you can move onto the next step.
Related content: Just in case you were wondering, it is totally safe to receive fluoride treatment at the dentist.
The flavor cannot make you gag or nauseous
The next most important trait would be to pick one that does not make you nauseous or feel like vomiting. After all, if you can’t even tolerate it being in your mouth it doesn’t help even if it is the most amazing toothpaste in the world.
There is no way to figure this one out aside from randomly experimenting with various different brands. You may have to try a couple of times until you find one that works.
It could very well be the flavoring that makes you gag. Here are some common flavors in toothpaste:
- Mint
- Peppermint
- Spearmint
- Cinnamon
- Herbal
- Charcoal
- Non-flavored
- Baking soda
You have to like the toothpaste
The third step in importance is whether or not you like the toothpaste. It could be for the very fact that it tastes good to you or that it uses non-artificial ingredients.
In our opinion, the other two decisions are much more important than this last one. However, this one is the cherry on top.
Takeaway
If you were hoping to find the best toothpaste to use while in pregnancy, there isn’t one because everyone is different and they have different preferences. What makes it even more difficult is that during pregnancy you may have a sense of altered taste and smell. That may contribute to gagging and vomiting depending on the type of toothpaste that you’re using.
Therefore there isn’t a singular best toothpaste because you can only find the best one that is meant for you. You simply must experiment in order to know what it is.